


they were his friends

by rcmsw



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 07:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11157537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rcmsw/pseuds/rcmsw
Summary: After they all survive Scarif, Bodhi has the time to find friends in the people who believed in him.





	they were his friends

**Author's Note:**

> Clarifying note: Bodhi’s crush goes by them/their pronouns.

“They weren’t his friends. They hadn’t gone drinking with Bodhi after his crush on Bamayar had rejected him, or helped him reassemble his astromech after he’d stupidly taken the droid apart on a dare.” - Rogue One novelization, Alexander Freed

\----

He stutters his way through the words he’s been planning for weeks now, unable to get them out just right. It wouldn’t have mattered either way. They’re just not interested. They’re nice about it, when they tell him, and Bodhi understands. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt. 

He nods once before they walk away, and then takes a deep breath as he turns back to his friends, who are pointedly not watching what just happened. 

When he sits back down at their table in the mess hall, Cassian immediately throws an arm around his shoulder.

“You know what we need, pilot?” he tells him, a reassuring grin on his face. “A drink! Let’s go!” 

Bodhi starts to protest, but the others join in and he figures a drink can’t hurt. As they all stand to make their way to the cantina, Jyn squeezes his arm and gives him a small smile.

“I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit. There’s just something I have to take care of first.” And she disappears down the hallway. 

 

Within a half hour, Bodhi’s set up at the bar with Chirrut, Baze and Cassian around him. Chirrut’s words string together in his mind as the guardian gives him advice on love and heartbreak. 

“All is as the Force will its, Bodhi,” Chirrut muses. “Take solace in the knowledge that often our greatest happiness can be found from moments of unhappiness. ” 

“Oh ok thanks,” Bodhi nods, then sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Nobody does,” Baze huffs as he drops himself onto the stool beside him, tapping his glass. “Just drink.”

So he does. He’s about three drinks in when Jyn shows up. He shouts, too loud he realizes, at the bartender for a drink for his friend. She squeezes between Bodhi and Cassian to reach the bar, laying a hand on Bodhi’s shoulder as Cassian’s finds its place on her back. 

As she grabs her drink, Bodhi sees fresh cuts on her knuckles and the slight pink of a bruise just beginning to form. It’s not exactly a strange occurrence for Jyn, but it is strange that Cassian takes no notice of them. Bodhi can remember clearly all the different ways Cassian’s reacted to the signs of Jyn’s fights, from stern lectures about camaraderie and “we’re all on the same side,” to a concerned look on his face as he brought the scarred knuckles up to his lips, the moment so soft and intimate Bodhi felt he had to look away. 

But Cassian purposefully does not mention the injuries, and Bodhi immediately knows something is up. 

“Oh Jyn, please tell me you did not beat them up,” he moans.

She turns to him then, not an ounce of guilt on her face. 

“I did not beat them up, Bodhi,” she says, tone even, repeating his words as she’s been told. 

“Jyn!”

“I didn’t!” she laughs, hands up in mock surrender. “I just suggested that they could use some more hand-to-hand combat training. It’s not my fault if they’re really awful at fighting.” 

“Jyn…”

She throws back her own drink, and pushes his back into his hands. 

“Don’t worry, Bodhi, they’ll be alright,” she says, and then her expression takes on the softness she reserves for the four of them. She waits until his eyes meet hers. “And so will you.”

The promise in her voice makes him smile, filling him with more comfort than the drink in his hand could. 

“Of course he will be,” Cassian adds, leaning behind Jyn to wrap a hand around Bodhi’s shoulders and pull him closer to two of them. “He’s got us.” 

\----

A clank echoes amid the wide space of the hangar, snapping Jyn’s head up from the data pad she was reading. In front of her stands Rogue One, or what she thinks was once Rogue One. The Imperial cargo ship is now nothing but bones, with its parts strewn all about. 

Sitting in the middle of them looking smaller amid the clutter is a pale-faced Bodhi. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet, hands running through his hair repeatedly.

“Uh Bodhi… what... what happened?”

He startles and turns to her, eyes bulging. 

“I made a mistake,” the words tumble out of his mouth.

“You took apart the ship?”

“I took apart the ship,” the pilot nods once quickly, then over and over again. 

She doesn’t ask why, and he’s grateful for it. 

“Do you know how to put it back together,” she asks, trying to sound casual.

“Ah yes, yes, theoretically I do. I know this ship better than anyone, I know every part, pulled out the pieces myself, so in theory yes I should be able to put it back together, not a problem...” he trails off, still mumbling.

“Ok, and I have faith in that,” Jyn tries to keep any sense of doubt from her voice. She tries even harder to hold back her smile. “How about in actuality?”

“Well yeah that’s where it gets a little complicated. Because this, what’s happening right now, is in actuality, and while it’s not a complete disaster I would say it’s not exactly going well,” his eyes meet hers, concern on his face. 

She can’t help but laugh then. It’s not teasing, but it bursts out light and warm, comforting even. Bodhi enjoys the sound as much for its levity as he does for its rarity.

“I’ll get Cassian… and I guess probably Kay, too.” 

“Don’t tell anyone else! They might court martial me for this,” he calls after her.

“I’d like to see them try,” she mutters under her breath, but he hears it. He smiles at Jyn’s fierce protectiveness until he turns back to the mess around him and groans. 

 

When Cassian makes it to the hangar, Bodhi turns in time to see his eyes widen just slightly. His mouth opens to ask a question, but a sharp look from Jyn shuts it. 

He nods once, tight and fast, as his normal neutral expression returns. 

“It’s alright. We can handle this.” 

Bodhi sighs, feeling more relieved than he expected. If Cassian thinks they can do it, then maybe they can. The captain’s already knee-deep in parts, splitting up the pieces he knows from the ones he doesn’t.

“On the contrary Cassian, the chances of us adequately repairing this ship back to it’s original form are —”

“Kay!” Three voices call out together, in varying levels of frustration. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have brought him,” Jyn mumbles as she examines a part that Bodhi can’t be sure is actually from Rogue One.

“I have access to the original Imperial blueprints of this ship, Jyn Erso, which likely makes me far more helpful then you could be,” Kay retorts.

“Then why don’t you access those for us Kay,” Cassian is calm, all too used to mediating between Kay and Jyn. 

Kay does as he’s told, and they’re able to be relatively productive for about five minutes before the silence is broken by a sigh from Cassian. 

“Alright, just...why?”

“Cassian!” Jyn calls out, and the sharp look is back. Bodhi can only imagine the warning she must have given him before dragging him to the hangar. But Bodhi can’t lie, especially not to Cassian.

“I, uh, well I kind of took a dare,” Bodhi mumbles, hands fumbling with his goggles. 

“A dare?” Cassian’s voice loses its usual even tone. 

“Yeah, Skywalker said I couldn’t get the ship to fly past lightspeed, but I knew if I made the right modifications I could do it. I just didn’t know what the right modifications would be so I figured the easiest way to figure that out would be to just open the whole thing up and take a look.” 

“Bodhi,” Cassian mutters, his fingers gripping the bridge of his nose, but there’s a ghost of a laugh in his voice. 

“I know, I know, but we can fix it right?” Bodhi asks, glancing back and forth from Jyn to Cassian.

“Yes of course,” Jyn nods. “Right Cassian?”

“Right, we can fix this.”

It takes them all night, but they do. And Bodhi wins the dare. 


End file.
